Drive's motoring predictions for 2014

Although there was plenty of writing on the wall highlighting the plight of the local car industry, 2013 provided plenty of surprises within the world on wheels.

The next twelve months is seemingly just as unpredictable, but we've managed to scramble enough information from a cynically-tainted crystal ball, satirical-smelling tea leaves and greased palm readings to decode what the future has in store for the automotive industry in 2014.

If it all sounds a bit far-fetched, it probably is...

January

The Detroit motor show opens and the frozen flotilla of Australian journalists miss every single new car reveal as they chase General Motors and Ford executives regarding the decision to close down their respective manufacturing operations in Australia.

One of the key new cars that had the covers ripped off in Detroit is the new Chrysler 200 sedan, which the local division says it is “under consideration” for Australia.

Holden appoints Eddie “everywhere” McGuire to replace Mike Devereux as the company president. As part of his appointment, McGuire negotiates with Union officials that all Holden employees will receive either a lifetime Collingwood membership or a shot at the Millionaire Hot Seat as part of their redundancy settlements.

Formula One pre-season testing commences for the new turbo era of grand prix racing. Daniel Ricciardo sets the pace for Red Bull Racing from Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, prompting Sebastian Vettel to get his mentor Helmut Marko to ban the Aussie from any more testing before the season commences in Melbourne.

Audi launches the first of several A3 variants due in 2014, the compact sedan, claiming it re-sets the benchmark for luxury motoring.

Volvo reveals its Polestar Racing V8 Supercar program and confirms veteran Jim Richards will join young gun – and fellow Kiwi – Scott Mclaughlin, leading critics to ponder whether Richards' appointment is a ploy to lure a younger audience to the brand.

All-new Mazda3 goes on sale in Australia, and despite hitting showrooms in the last week of January immediately hits the top of the sales charts.

February

A swag of supercar owners converge on Alice Springs for the resumption of open speed limits as part of a 12-month trial on a 200km stretch of the Stuart Highway to Barrow Creek. The speed demons interrupt filming on Aussie horror flick Wolf Creek 3, and one of the owners mysteriously disappears.

Drive national motoring editor Toby Hagon wins the Bathurst 12-hour driving the slowest car in the field, an Abarth 500, after a massive pile-up takes out the entire field on the opening lap. “We expected to win our class, but this is just unreal,” he says on the podium in front a crowd of (four) Fiat fans. “I feel really bad for the rest of the field that crashed at McPhillamy Park, but by the time we got there the entire accident had been cleaned up which meant we just controlled the race after that.”

Infiniti launches its Q50 sedan in Australia. To demonstrate its world-first steer-by-wire technology, it links one car to a remote driving simulator where journalists can drive it through a slalom course in a carpark at Sandown Raceway. Amazingly it works, but the demonstration quickly turns into a competition to see who is quickest and the car ends up on the track – and eventually in the fence.

Audi launches the A3 Convertible, claiming it re-sets the benchmark for affordable luxury motoring, Dodge Australia says the next-generation Charger sedan is “under consideration” for Australia and the Mazda3 outsells the Corolla, HiLux and Camry combined.

March

Volvo’s V8 Supercar debut gets off to a stellar start at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide with McLaughlin finishing 19^th in Saturday’s twilight race – just ahead of the sole-surviving Erebus Mercedes. “Volvo is the leading European V8 Supercar brand after successful debut on the streets of Adelaide” reads the press release from the Swedish car maker. 

Daniel Ricciardo scores pole position, leads the Australian Grand Prix and laps the entire field until he comes across team mate Vettel in second place who throws a dummy out of his cockpit which lands in the airbox and destroys his engine. “We showed we’ve got pace today, but it’s the first race of the season in a new era and things can happen. Anyway, Sebastian has been the benchmark in Formula One for the last few years and I’m just happy to be learning from him,” beams a smiling Ricciardo when he returns to the paddock.

Bentley whips the covers off the final production version of its first SUV at the Geneva motor show, revealing the most opulent off-roader ever created complete with a cabin clothed in seal skin, a sparkling paint derived from South African diamonds and thick carpets made of wool sourced from Himalayan Llamas. Powered by the company’s 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12, the Bentley Flying Duck – as it is called – comes with its own personal petrol tanker while its roof is strong enough to land a helicopter on. The entire first five years of production are shared between the Middle East and China.

Audi launches the A3 quattro sedan convertible claiming it re-sets the benchmark for affordable luxury motoring, Alfa Romeo Australia says the next-generation MiTo is “under consideration” and Mazda claims it is struggling to meet demand for the all-new Mazda3 and may need to source additional volume from other regions outside of Japan.

Nurburgring testing season opens and McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche line-up with their respective hybrid-powered hypercars – the P1, LaFerrari and 918 Spyder – to set a new production lap record. The McLaren sets the initial pace, but Ferrari and Porsche both argue that its batteries were not the same as those in the production version.

Daniel Ricciardo trails Sebastien Vettel for the majority of the Malaysian Grand Prix but then overtakes his team mate with 10 laps to go to score his first victory. The German complains that he ignored team orders. “Clearly I’m just happy to be learning from Sebastian,” he says smiling uncontrollably during the post-race press conference. He tweets after the race ‘That’s what I thought Multi21 meant. Doesn’t it @AussieGrit?’

April

Spy shots of the 2014 Ford Falcon surface, indicating the final Aussie-built sedan from the blue oval will have a new front bumper and revised headlights. The interwebs go into overdrive with speculation that it will look like a cross between the Mondeo and Mustang.

Audi launches the S3 sedan and claims it will re-set the benchmark for affordable luxury motoring, Fiat Australia says the 500 Just Jeans limited edition is “under consideration” for Australia and Mazda Australia boss Martin Benders is seen having lunch with Ford CEO Alan Mulally, igniting speculation the Japanese car maker is in discussions to take over the blue oval’s Broadmeadows manufacturing plant for the Mazda3.

Toyota’s 86 continues to be a hot ticket item and outsells the RAV4 in April, prompting Toyota to reveal it is evaluating an SUV based on the sports coupe.

Melbourne’s Lygon St and Sydney’s Norton St officially close down for a weekend as Sydney Motorsport Park is swamped by flag-waving Italians at the first Ferrari Racing Days. More than 1000 cars wearing the Prancing Horse logo – some of which suspiciously sound like Toyota MR2s – converge on Western Sydney to witness Giancarlo Fisichella smash the circuit record.

Porsche launches the Macan in Australia. Sales of all other luxury mid-sized SUVs fall off a cliff.

Ferrari ropes in Fernando Alonso to set a new production car lap record at the Nurburgring in the LaFerrari. McLaren and Porsche argue the driver is not the same as that available in the production version.

May

Alfa launches the 4C sportscar in Australia. Despite its carbon fibre underpinnings, it is somehow prone to rust.

Spy shots of the Ford Territory surface, indicating it will feature a new bumper and headlights. Interwebs go into overdrive predicting it will look like a cross between an Aston Martin and a Ford Explorer - somehow.

Audi rebadges its A4 sedan as a long-wheelbase A3 claiming it re-sets the benchmark for affordable luxury motoring.

Porsche builds a giant electrified net over the Nurburgring and eclipses Ferrari’s Nurburgring record with a 918 Spyder prototype that features a pole hooked up to the net like a dodgem car to constantly feed its batteries maximum power. Ferrari and McLaren argue that the lap record fight is becoming like a circus.

June

After 12 years of Formula One, but despite months of testing, Mark Webber forgets about driver changes and becomes the first driver to win the Le Mans 24 hour endurance on his own and score Porsche's first win since 1998. Audi concedes defeat after its decade of dominance, but admits it will return in 2015 with a bionic man that can match Webber’s feat.

Toyota president Max Yusada and Mazda boss Martin Benders are seen in discussions with Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, igniting speculation of a joint venture that will see Mazda build the 3 alongside the Camry and Aurion at Altona.

Spy shots of a prototype Ford Falcon with new-look 20-inch alloys surface. The interwebs go into overdrive predicting FPV has developed a GT-HO as its swangsong performance model.

Hyundai launches its Genesis luxury sedan in Australia, priced from $48,990 driveaway and loaded with kit. The Korean car is an instant hit – particularly with accountants and dentists - and it cannot keep up with demand for gold badges. BMW responds with a new model called the 500i at the same price, but with a choice of optional engines.

Mercedes-Benz releases details of its all-new C63 AMG ahead of its debut at the Paris motor show. Confirming previous reports, it is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with an astonishing 480kW, an all-wheel drive transmission and is capable of 0-100km/h in 2.9sec. “Our goal has always been to set the benchmark for performance, and we are confident the new C63 AMG has an adequate amount of power that meets our customer’s expectations,” AMG boss Tobias Moers says in a press release.

July

Ford Performance Vehicles releases a teaser image of its final limited edition vehicle that it claims will “live up to the legend” of the GT. The Interwebs go into overdrive claiming the GT-HO is coming “as exclusively revealed” – almost every year since 2003 when FPV was founded.

Half yearly sales figures show the Mazda3 is on track for a record result, outselling Ford and Holden’s complete range of vehicles. Toyota’s HiLux is the closest competitor as the Japanese brand fights back with a massive end-of-financial year sales promotion that includes a jet ski, tool kit and a lifetime of hi-viz workwear.

Ford releases official spy photos of the last ever Falcon. The Interwebs ignore it.

MG releases its small MG3 hatch in Australia. It’s priced at $28,990 and is powered by a 65kW turbo charged 1.6-litre. “We think this perfectly represents all that is great about the iconic brand,” it says in a press release.

FPV reveals its final limited edition GT. Despite dealers holding hundreds of deposits for a GT-HO, the car is called the “Bathurst Edition” GT and is simply painted exclusively in ‘Panorama’ orange with black stripes. It says 351 will be built, each costing $84,430 and personally signed by the four people left on the production line. “The GT badge was immortalised around Mount Panorama in the 1970s and it is important to recognise its heritage as we retire the latest generation of the icon,” FPV says in a press release.

August

Holden boss Eddie McGuire releases a series of limited edition Commodores to counter the imminent arrival of the revised Ford Falcon. The Collingwood edition Commodore SS is available only in white with black over-body stripes and features all of the clubs sponsor logos in the seat trim, the Sam Newman Edition Calais has some mild cosmetic tweaks that are highlighted by its slimmer headlights and the Millionaire Edition Caprice has “hot seats” for all five occupants.

Elusive billionaire Elon Musk launches Tesla in Australia and announces plans to create the world’s largest solar farm between Broken Hill and Birdsville as well as a network of tidal energy generators and geothermal power stations that will provide free power to customers, not just for their vehicles but also their homes. The mining industry lobbies the government – and funds a smear campaign against Tesla – to try and stop Musk’s plans.

Audi launches the facelifted A8 limousine in Australia, but quickly re-names it the extended long-wheelbase A3 sedan, claiming it re-sets the benchmark for affordable luxury motoring.

An Australian version of a British motoring magazine breaks the embargo on the revived Falcon XR8, revealing it will be powered by a 351kW version of the 5.0-litre V8 and cost just $35,990. FPV Bathurst Edition owners are outraged and demand their money back.

September

Ford officially releases the 2014 FH Falcon, announcing it – not surprisingly - as the most advanced Falcon ever created featuring the company’s SYNC connectivity functions and new bumpers with LED driving lights. It also announces revised pricing with the range starting at just $23,990 driveaway.

Aston Martin takes the covers off a pair of new coupes at the Paris motor show. Dubbed the Vanhalen and Vanhelsing, they are the first to be powered by Mercedes-Benz’ new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and are positioned somewhere between the Vantage and Vanquish with the company’s familiar styling.

At the same time, Jaguar reveals its C-A4-3 concept at the Paris show, showcasing its new compact sedan that will rival the likes of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series. The stunning concept is considered the star of the show.

After a promising but unspectacular start to the season, Hyundai breaks through to win Rally Australia with local ace Chris Atkinson.

Audi launches a mid-engined two-seater version of the A3 that looks remarkably like an R8 – and called the RS3 V10 Plus - claiming it re-sets the benchmark for  affordable luxury motoring.

October

Mercedes-Benz reveals details of its GT AMG – the successor to the SLS coupe – featuring a 550kW version of the company’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 driving just the rear wheels. “The SLS is an icon, but the GT takes AMG to new levels of performance,” says boss Tobias Moers. “We think it adequately meets our customer expectations in terms of power, but of course there is always room for more…” he adds in response to a likely Black Series.

Rick Kelly wins the Bathurst 1000 in his Nissan Altima after the race was red flagged due to torrential rain causing an accident at Forrest Elbow that took Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom out of the race. He is closely followed by Jim Richards in a Volvo S60 Polestar and Lee Holdsworth in an Erebus AMG. Mark Skaife claims it as vindication that the Car of the Future is a success, but the TV ratings and disappearing crowd prove otherwise.

The first full month of sales for the new Falcon reveals Australian buyers have already switched off, and Ford Australia president Bob Graziano announces the company has sold its Broadmeadows plant to Mazda which will start building the new Mazda3 from January.

Fiat reveals the 500 Rivers edition that comes with coloured rubber on the pedal covers – designed to mimic Croc sandles - a mixture of really bad printed material as the seat trim and is only available until stocks last.

November

Subaru reveals a stunningly aggressive sportscar concept at the Los Angeles motor show claiming it provides a clear indication of how it sees the BRZ evolving in the future. Yeah right…

BMW’s all-new M3 and M4 go on sale in Australia. Following a slow take-up for its radical i3 electric car, it offers M3/M4 buyers a 50 percent discount to help “offset their carbon footprint”.

Ken Block releases Gymkhana seven; an epic series of tyre-frying stunts and ludicrous jumps through Las Vegas that ends with him clearing the Grand Canyon in a rocket-powered version of his Ford Fiesta. He’s back!

A prototype version of Nissan’s next-gen R36 hybrid GT-R turns up at the Nurburgring and sets a new production car lap record of 6min 26sec – eclipsing Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche in one fell swoop. The three European manufacturers collectively pitch in to purchase the financially-crippled circuit and subsequently ban Nissan from ever testing there again.

December

Holden confirms the next-generation Chevy Camaro will be sold in Australia from 2016. V8 Supercars stands firm on its four-door sedan-based formula, leading both Holden and Ford to pull out of the sport.

Mitsubishi concedes its strength lies in SUVs and ditches the Lancer and Mirage to concentrate its dwindling resources on the Outlander and ASX.

Even though it has an unassailable lead as Australia’s most popular new car in 2013, Mazda is left without any stock of its Mazda3 for the last month of the year. It subsequently announces it has met with Eddie McGuire to take over the Elizabeth plant in South Australia and will commence building the Mazda3 in February 2015, along with a lucrative sponsorship deal of the Collingwood Football Club and The Footy Show, and will join forces with Toyota to prop-up its Altona plant. Prime Minister Tony Abbott declares it a victory for Australian manufacturing and claims all the credit.